Motions of Love
by WitchHatsFTW
Summary: Life has its ins and outs, its ups and downs, and its days and nights. Yet in its complexities, love is found. A collection of oneshots focused around different pairings from the show.
1. Shifting Gears

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuruYuri or any of the associated characters.**_

* * *

Akaza Akari felt utterly defeated.

It wasn't the kiss that made her feel this way. Sure, it had been her first kiss, but honestly, she didn't really mind that Chinatsu had stolen it.

It wasn't even the fact that Chinatsu was so forceful about it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was actually quite endeared by the pinkette's determination.

No, what bugged her so much was Chinatsu's reaction to being walked in on. When the pink-haired girl had pressed her own lips to Akari's, the red-head felt like maybe this would lead to something more.

But then, Yui and Kyouko had walked in, and Chinatsu pulled away in immediate embarrassment, trying to explain herself to her beloved "Yui-senpai".

Akari felt empty. Of course it would be like that. In Chinatsu's mind, it truly was nothing but practice. It was just another attempt to make herself desirable for Yui. As Chinatsu tried to explain to the retreating pair that it wasn't what they thought it was, Akari had never felt so helplessly ignored.

A stream of tears pooled in the corner of her eye and ran down the side of her face.

* * *

Akaza Akari was curious.

She had just finished listening to Kyouko's touching tale of her trip back in time that never happened, and now she was curious.

"If it had happened, what would I try to change?"

Now, Akari would like to believe she would have the perfect morals of the Akari in Kyouko's story. She wanted to think that, should she be given the opportunity, she wouldn't go back to change anything.

But Akari knew that she would.

As cruel as it sounded, she probably would go back and tell Chinatsu that the Tea Club was disbanded. If Chinatsu had never arrived that day, she wouldn't have met Yui before she got to know Akari. Maybe then, she'd have different feelings towards her "Yui-senpai". Maybe then the silly, obsessive pink-haired girl would redirect her affections towards the red-head.

Maybe, just maybe, Chinatsu would have fallen in love with Akari instead.

* * *

Akaza Akari sat alone in her room.

It had been a long day, for more reasons than one. In class, Himawari and Sakurako had been much more confrontational today, and Akari had to act as a constant mediator to make sure the temperamental pair didn't break out into an actual fight.

Then, she had the misfortune of having to deal with an out-of-control Kyouko. Yui hadn't been here today, so there was simply no holding back the blond otaku as she ran about doing what she wanted.

Oh, yeah, and that was the other thing. Yui was out sick, and the most tiring part of the day was listening to Chinatsu constantly gush worryingly about her "precious Yui-senpai".

They visited her that day.

It was odd. Chinatsu saw the sick girl laying on the futon in her apartment and, despite her worry all day, she looked almost pensive approaching her senpai. Kyouko, who would normally run about the small housing like she owned the place, sat rather quietly. She didn't even beg for the rum-raisin ice cream this time (though she did more than readily accept it when Yui told Kyouko that she could have it).

It had been Chinatsu's idea that they cook for Yui, since normally she would do so for them, but now she was sick and it would be nice to repay her anyway. Kyouko had agreed, and decided to commandeer the kitchen from the eager, pink-haired girl before she tried too hard and made something truly horrifying. It had just been Chinatsu and Akari, then, kneeling at the table while Yui slept on the futon nearby.

Akari had tried to talk to her pink-haired friend, but alas, Chinatsu had been too engrossed in watching the sleeping figure to even so much as notice. Akari's lack of presence was hard at work today, it seemed.

After Kyouko finished cooking, Chinatsu insisted on feeding their sick friend, which went over more-or-less the way you'd expect it to with that girl. Kyouko had forcibly taken over to save Yui's life.

Chinatsu began to complain, and Akari had had enough. She excused herself and said she needed to be home.

So here she was; lying on her back, staring at her ceiling, somewhere between exhausted and downtrodden.

_"China-chan… why can't you notice anyone else?"_

* * *

Akaza Akari wasn't sure how to react.

The Amusement Club was all present. Kyouko was sleeping under the kotatsu, despite the inherent risks. Yui was sitting, reading a book, and Chinatsu was clinging to her arm. That's when Yui spoke out quite suddenly.

"H...hey, Chinatsu… could you maybe… stop being so clingy all the time?"

Yui's request was deeper than that, of course. Akari knew Yui wanted Chinatsu to stop liking her, for both of their sakes.

Akari was, if anything, a really good person to tell secrets to. A few weeks ago, Yui had told Akari that there was someone she liked, and had even asked if Akari had any ideas on how to approach the situation. At the time, Akari was going to ask if it was Kyouko, but there was something in the way she had said it. Something distant, like the person she was talking about wasn't amongst their tight-knit group of friends.

Akari felt bad, but if she didn't make those two assumptions, it would've led her to the third, and decidedly worse option. It was Chinatsu. After all, the introverted gamer seldom talked to many others. There weren't many potential candidates.

For a long while, Akari had been worried that Yui was in fact talking about Chinatsu, yet this showed hope.

"Y...Yui-senpai…! I only want to show you I lo-like you!" Chinatsu caught her slip-up.

Yui sighed, "Chinatsu… I find it really endearing that you look up to me… No, wait, there's more, isn't there? I know you have feelings for me, but I just don't feel the same way. I'm sorry."

Chinatsu stood up, letting her bangs fall over her eyes, "I… I see…"

And with that, the pink-haired girl ran out of the club.

Akari sat there, tea in her hands, untouched and getting cold. So many thoughts ran through her mind. "_Should I go see if she's okay? Should I comfort her? Is this the moment I've been waiting for to confess?"_

Yet Akari just sat there. Frozen in apprehension. It wasn't until Ayano threw open the door and pointed a finger at Kyouko that she snapped out of the daze. As Ayano berated the blond for sleeping under the kotatsu ("You'll catch a cold, baka!"), Akari stood up and went to look for Chinatsu.

* * *

Akaza Akari stood in front of Yoshikawa Chinatsu.

Chinatsu was on the ground a little ways outside the old Tea Club's room, crying and hugging her knees to her chest. Akari bent down to kneel in front of her and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Ne, Chinatsu-chan, you okay?"

Chinatsu cringed from the contact and roughly brushed the hand away.

"Go away!"

"C-Chinatsu-chan!" Akari grabbed the girl's shoulders much more roughly than was expected from the kind redhead.

"A-Akari-chan?" Chinatsu looked up, both shocked and slightly apprehensive.

"You don't have to cry! I know, it hurts because Yui rejected you! But at least… a-at least… she noticed your feelings…"

Akari took a deep breath. She was worried the most about what she was about to say next.

"I… I have a weak presence, so it would be impossible for me to get my feelings through to someone who already liked someone else… but… even then… Chinatsu-chan! I… I like you! And yet… and yet all you do is sit there, gushing over 'Yui-senpai'! I thought things might change after the kiss… but you didn't even mention it since! It was like it didn't even matter, even though it was my first kiss! So… so if anyone has the right to cry… right now… it's…"

Akari couldn't take it. Tears began streaming, hitting the ground in front of Chinatsu as Akari sagged, keeping herself upright only with her grip on the pink-haired girl. Her head was bowed, and for a second, Chinatsu still had to process what had just been said.

"Akari-chan… I…" Chinatsu frowned. No. Words were not appropriate for this moment.

Chinatsu leaned forwards and lightly grabbed Akari's chin, lifting it up so she had a clear view of her face. For Akari, everything happened so fast. Chinatsu pressed her lips to the Red-haired girl's yet again, but this time, it wasn't forced, and Akari welcomed it.

Chinatsu followed the kiss with a flustered half-confession/half-apology, but it didn't matter. Akari had all she wanted the second Chinatsu had kissed her again. Their first real kiss.

* * *

Akaza Akari was too adorable for words.

Chinatsu mused this over in her mind as she stared up at her ceiling. She had only started dating Akari two weeks ago, and she had admittedly still been rebounding from her unrequited affection for Yui, but those feelings were fading fast, and Chinatsu couldn't believe she hadn't noticed how unbelievably, undeniably cute the redhead was.

Chinatsu didn't have to force herself to love Akari. It came naturally. She caught herself staring over at Akari in class, or counting down the seconds until the bell rang in the classes she didn't have with her new girlfriend. Sometimes she even caught herself staring at Akari's lips, eagerly awaiting the next time she could taste them.

She started doing little things, like making sure she didn't wear cherry lip-gloss because she remembered a while ago Akari had mentioned disliking it's flavor, or wearing red panties because they matched Akari's hair, even though she wasn't exactly going to see them that day.

Chinatsu had not been as clingy or obsessive over Akari as she had been about Yui, but the pinkette had attributed this to security. They were dating, so Chinatsu didn't need to worry about losing the redhead.

Akari had, too, changed a bit. She had begun doing cute things like packing Chinatsu a bento with heart shaped onigiri, or calling her China-chan when they were alone, or meeting up with her to walk to Amusement Club, and giving her little pecks when no one else was watching.

Even Akari's lack of presence seemed to diminish due to their relationship, and both Kyouko and Yui had commented that Akari seemed more noticeable. Gone were the days of "When did you get here?" and leaving Akari behind because no one noticed her stop or trip.

For Chinatsu, Akari's lack of presence was completely nonexistent. Chinatsu noticed everything Akari did, and she found Akari just so indescribably cute.

Yes, Akaza Akari was too adorable for words. Chinatsu had decided this as she flipped herself over to face her sleeping girlfriend. She planted a kiss on her forehead and smiled.

Sometimes, words weren't even necessary.

* * *

**AN: It's been a while since I uploaded anything, and I just recently watched YuruYuri (both seasons), so I decided to begin short oneshot-ish drabbles on some of my favorite pairings.**


	2. Spontaneous

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuruYuri or any associated characters.**_

* * *

Ayano was jealous of Yui.

No, it wasn't that she misunderstood her relationship with Kyouko. They were friends. Close friends, yes, but she too had a close friend in Chitose, and Ayano was confident that their relationship wasn't any deeper than that.

No, it wasn't the way Kyouko sometimes flirted with the raven-haired girl, nor was it the way she spontaneously declared her love for her. Toshino Kyouko had a habit of doing that to multiple people, usually in an attempt to obtain homework to copy.

Instead, it was the way that Yui's relationship with Kyouko was on a totally different level than the one Ayano had with her.

They had grown up together, they had shared close time together that Ayano envied, and as much as she hated to admit it, Yui had been there for Kyouko, time and time again, even long before Ayano could even hope to be.

And here they were; Sugiura Ayano and Funami Yui, left alone together, because for some dumb reason Kyouko had dragged them out of their warm homes into the cold winter air to a park, sat them down on a bench, then ran off to who-knows-where. Not once had they been graced with an explanation.

They were mentally brought back to the awkward Christmas "date" they shared. They had sat on a bench similar to the one they were sitting on now, and had spent all day not talking to each other. Instead, they had watched the couples nearby, and silently, Ayano had mourned her misfortune of not getting Kyouko.

Of course, she'd never admit these feelings; least of all to Yui. After all, if there was one person she couldn't trust, it was the person who was closer to Kyouko than herself.

Right?

"N-ne, Ayano-san?"

Yui's voice had been surprising, to say the least. Yui was never really the one to initiate a conversation. Unlike Ayano, who could barge into a room yelling (usually Kyouko's name), Yui was never loud or ever too interested in anything in particular. Kyouko had, at one point, mentioned Yui's love for gaming, but for some reason Ayano could only picture the raven-haired girl staring boredly at the television as she tapped away at a controller.

"W-what is it, Funami-san?"

"You like Kyouko, don't you?"

Ayano blushed furiously, "O-of course n-not, wh-why would I like her?"

Yui deadpanned, unfazed by Ayano's stammering insistence.

"Even if you say that, I've noticed, you know," Yui noted bluntly.

Ayano's face grew a deeper shade of red, "I-is… is it really that obvious?"

_"So much for not trusting the person closer to Kyouko than me."_

Yui smiled, "Well, I would be inclined to say yes, but sometimes my friends can be a bit unobservant of other's feelings. I'm sure I'm the only one who's figured it out. Don't worry, I haven't told Kyouko."

"Haven't told me what?" Kyouko chimed in, sneaking up behind the pair and slinging her arms around the two. And just when Ayano thought her blush couldn't get any deeper.

"T-T-TOSHINO KYOUKO!" Ayano whirled around to face the blond, face still tinged a deep red, "H-how dare you drag us out here without telling us why! I demand an explanation!"

Kyouko shrugged, "I was walking home from the store yesterday and I saw a hot chocolate stand in the park. I decided trying it out might be fun."

Yui deadpanned, "You didn't bring us back any."

Kyouko scratched the back of her head, "Well, see, the funny thing is, the stand isn't there today! Apparently it's closed on weekends!"

Yui sighed in exasperation, "Check these things before you drag us all the way out here. That was rude to Ayano-san."

Ayano's eyes widened, "W-wha! N-no, I… I don't mind, really! B-besides, it's not like I had anything better to do!"

Kyouko smiled, "Good, now that we're out, who want's to get something to eat!"

Yui sighed, "It's always food with you, huh, Kyouko?"

Kyouko's grin only widened at this, "Yup! Ikuzo!"

* * *

So the three of them had eaten out together at a new restaurant they had heard about. The food was delicious, and Ayano definitely enjoyed herself. Yet the fact that she couldn't spend it alone with Kyouko made her slightly disappointed. She understood that Kyouko had no way of knowing Ayano's feelings at this point, and Yui was one of her best friends, but she still wished that Kyouko would just invite her one day. Selfish, yeah, but sometimes that's how people thought when they were in love.

That thought still felt so foreign to Ayano, who had been ignoring the truth about her own feelings. A few nights ago, she had had a rather… embarrassing dream about the blonde, and when she had woken up hot and bothered from the experience she finally decided enough was enough; she would admit her feelings to herself, at least.

Now the three of them were walking home, and neither Ayano or Yui had been talking much. It was mostly Kyouko, going on about how good the meal was or how fun today was, while still sipping the drink she had gotten to-go. It was this drink, however, that would soon cause troubles for the blonde.

"A-ah! Excuse me for a sec, I need the toilet!" Kyouko stated abruptly before heading off into a random store, leaving the two alone once again.

As a winter wind blew through the street, the atmosphere changed from awkward to unusually tense. Yui turned towards Ayano, gazing at her sternly.

Suddenly, she smiled, and Ayano was both phased by the unusual sight and confused by her change of expression.

"You should just go for it, Ayano-san," Yui stated, "Recently, Akari and Chinatsu started dating, and while Kyouko's 'crush' on Chinatsu was mostly superficial, she's still a bit jealous of their relationship."

Ayano blushed, "A-ah, but… Yui… if all Kyouko wants is a girlfriend, then why don't you ask her? After all, you're much closer to her, and she's comfortable around you, right? You have something there that I could never hope to have, so… you're really the better choice, right?"

Ayano wanted to cry. Of course she didn't feel that way. Of course she wanted Kyouko to herself! But ignoring what Kyouko already had with Yui was impossible after today.

Yui shook her head, "Ayano-san. You don't get it! You're right to say that me and Kyouko are close friends, and comfortable around each other. But you misunderstand. You're the one who has something that I don't. I know a lot about Kyouko, and she knows a lot about me, but that's just the thing. Kyouko likes discovery. She likes being spontaneous and to try new things. Because she doesn't know much about you yet, she wants to know more about you, and I think she really likes you too. Besides, I don't even like her like that."

Ayano smiled at the raven-haired girl and nodded. Perfect timing too; Kyouko had finally left the random store, carrying a small bag and looking half-relieved/half-annoyed at the same time.

"Ah, geez! Can you believe they made me buy something just to use the toilet! They even made we wait in line behind the other customer!" Kyouko whined.

Yui looked up at the store Kyouko wandered into, "That's what you get for picking a bookstore as your rest-stop."

"Ah well, they had a manga section!" Kyouko exclaimed, holding up her newly-claimed prize, a Mirakurun Manga, but Rivalun's hair on the front cover was accidentally colored a bright violet, "The rare misprinted 8th volume! I almost missed it !"

Yui deadpanned once again, "You took the time looking through the manga section even though you needed the toilet? Geez, Kyouko, you're something else."

Ayano didn't respond. Ever since she saw the misprinted cover, she had turned away to blush. With the violet hair, Rivalun looked exactly like Ayano had when Kyouko forced her to don the skimpy cosplay back at the first Comiket she'd went to.

"Ah! Ayano? Are you okay?" Kyouko asked, noticing how quiet Ayano looked, "AH! Don't tell me… you need the toilet too?"

"I don't! BAKA!" Ayano yelled.

Yui shot Ayano a knowing look and, without skipping a beat, she turned towards Kyouko and whispered something into Kyouko's ear.

"Ah! you're right!" Kyouko smiled, slinging her arm around the blushing Ayano, "Say, Ayano? Think you can come with me to the winter Comiket in a few days? I just realized you look a lot like Rivalun from this misprinted cover. I want you to cosplay again"

Ayano glared at Yui for a fraction of a second before turning towards Kyouko, "W-while Comiket was fun the last time you dragged me there, I don't like wearing such a revealing outfit!"

Kyouko frowned, "Aw, but Ayano, you're so cute!"

Ayano blushed, then suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, "O-on one condition!"

Kyouko tilted her head to the side quizzically, like a confused puppy.

Ayano took a deep breath, her face red as a tomato, and declared in a completely uncharacteristic wave of boldness brought upon by Yui's encouraging words, "Toshino Kyouko! Be my girlfriend!"

* * *

**AN: Leavin' it there for now, da ze! Don't worry. I may get around to making a sequel chapter later on, but I want to get other pairings out of the way first. I've decided all the chapters in this fanfic are going to be interconnected (like the reference to Chinatsu and Akari's relationship in this chapter), and eventually I will probably loop back around and focus on couples I've already written about.**


	3. Apart

**_Disclaimer: I do not own YuruYuri or any associated characters._**

* * *

Nishigaka Nana was loud.

She wasn't necessarily loud herself, but her eccentric behavior and experiments always gave her such a noticeable, loud presence. There was seldom a time she could go somewhere and not be noticed (and, potentially, yelled at, she had a bit of a well-earned reputation for blowing things up).

Matsumoto Rise, on the other hand, was quiet. Terribly so. In fact, not many people could even hear her voice. She'd often go placed completely unnoticed, and, compared to those around her, she would often get drowned out by their excitement.

When Rise first stepped into Nana's classroom, she had been late. It wasn't her fault, but that day circumstances had been cruel, and bathroom lines had been long, and when she stepped into class she wasn't sure what to say. She bowed and whispered an apology, and then she turned to head out of the classroom to wait in the hallway as punishment.

Nana places her hand on her forehead and sighed, "Geez, did I tell you to wait in the hall? It's okay, it's your first day here, so I'll cut you some slack."

Rise breathed a silent sigh of relief and looked around for an empty seat. No one seemed even remotely interested in talking to her, so she headed over to one of the seats in the front near the teacher's desk. Even if no one talked to her, she could avoid getting teased under the protection of the teacher.

Despite her proximity to Nishigaka-sensei, it would be another two weeks before the two would interact in any way. She had assigned pairs for a lab experiment, and to no one's surprise, she managed to be the odd one out.

She had stood there, feeling lonely and embarrassed, until Nana had made her way over to the flustered, quiet student, and spoke with a gentle voice, "It's okay, Matsumoto-chan, You can work with me."

It went horribly. Halfway through the experiment, Rise got her first taste of Nana's love for explosions first-hand.

Yet something changed that day. She had woken up in the clinic, school long over and Nishigaka-sensei had looked so relieved, and actually wound up apologizing, and in the corners of her eyes glistened tears.

Rise hadn't really noticed when she had wrapped her arms around the older woman, but when she let go, she felt different. Nishigaka-sensei was smiling down at her, and she felt oddly safe in her presence.

A lot had happened since that day, but Rise's relationship with Nana would only grow more intimate. Yet, even though they were so close, they couldn't ever be as close as they wanted.

It wasn't that they were both girls. This was, after all, Nanamori Middle School. If there was any place they could be open about a relationship like that, it was here. But even the lesbian-dense school wouldn't overlook one problem: age. Nana may have only been 24, but even then, she was still a good 10 years older than Rise, and they were a teacher and student to boot.

Now, Rise stood in front of Nana's room, heart beating rather quickly. Was she really about to confess again? Now, it hadn't been the first time she'd confessed to the older woman, and she'd imagine it wouldn't be the last.

She entered the classroom abruptly and spotted Nana sitting at her desk, grading papers. She placed her hand on her chest and walked over to the teacher.

"Hmm? Oh, Rise. How are you?" Nana asked.

"Nana… I… I love you..." Rise whispered.

Nana sighed, frowning, "Rise… you know… you know we can't be together, right?"

Rise looked down at her shoes. She had known, she had been listed the reasons numerous times.

Nana shook her head, "Look, Rise… It's painful… saying no to you, so please, try to understand."

Rise nodded, "I do understand, Nana. I just… I wanted to say it. Because it's the most important thing I could say, and you're the most important person I can say it to."

Nana smiled, "Well, then, I love you too, Rise," the woman rose, looking rather melancholy, but with a smile on her face. She pulled Rise into a hug, "Hey, Rise… do me a favor and be patient, alright? One day, things won't be like this. I promise."

Rise smiled and nodded as Nana released her, "I'll wait for you."

And with that, Rise turned to leave the classroom. Sometimes life was harsh, and sometimes things beat her down non-stop, and she couldn't even be with the one she loved, but just knowing she was loved back was enough sometimes.

**__**She'd wait for Nana as long as it took.

* * *

**AN: This one feels a bit shorter. Ah well. I'm not sure how many other couples I'll add to this, but I may begin looping back around again.**


	4. Worrying

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuruYuri or any of the associated characters.**_

* * *

"Himawari, are you a lesbian?"

The abruptness of the question nearly made the more mature girl nearly spit out her tea in surprise. The two were supposed to be studying, and as usual, Sakurako was trying to avoid the task at hand.

"W-what! What's with that question so suddenly?"

Sakurako leaned back and crossed her arms behind her head, "Dunno, it's just you've never shown much interest in boys before."

Himawari was about to point out that she really never _saw_ many boys, on account of they went to an all-girl's school. Yet she stopped. Would that give Sakurako the wrong idea? After all, that would imply that she just wasn't around guys enough to take interest in one, and given the opportunity, she'd date a guy.

Himawari realized she was overthinking things when Sakurako sighed a bit, "You still haven't answered, you know."

"Yeah, I guess," Himawari finally answered, "I mean, I don't know if I'd like guys if I were around them more, but I currently like a girl, so I guess I'm a lesbian."

Sakurako's eyes widened at that last bit. She leaned in close, a toothy grin on her face, "Ooohhh, you like a girl, huh? Who is it?"

"It's none of your business, baka!" Himawari yelled, blushing, " N-now, get back to work! We're supposed to be studying!"

Himawari reopened her textbook, which she had placed in her lap, and began reading, trying to ignore her prying friend.

Sakurako frowned then grabbed Himawari's boobs yelling, "How can you even read the book like that with these in the way? You boob-monster!"

"AH! Quit it! I can see the book fine! Leave my breasts out of this!" Himawari yelled back.

"Tell me who it is!" Sakurako whined.

"No!" Himawari retorted.

"At least give me a hint?" Sakurako begged.

"No." Himawari held strong, "Now study."

"Please?" Sakurako asked, a bit softer than before. This made Himawari look up from her book back at her friend. Sakurako's

"Fine, Sakurako, it's-"

Suddenly, Himawari's mom called from downstairs, "Sakurako! Your sister's here, she wants you home."

"Okay!" Sakurako yelled back, then she turned back to Himawari, "Don't think you're off the hook. You're gonna tell me at school tomorrow! See ya!"

Himawari barely managed to squeak out a, "Bye," before the blonde dashed out of her room.

Himawari sighed before leaning back onto her bedroom floor, arms outstretched over her head and legs still crossed.

"Was I about to confess to her?" Himawari asked herself.

* * *

It was almost 1 in the morning, yet Sakurako was still awake, staring up at her ceiling.

_"Himawari likes someone."_

Sakurako wasn't sure why she was up. It was stupid. Himawari was stupid. Who did she like? Himawari spent almost all of her time with Sakurako. If she liked someone else, who could it be?

_"Who is it? Who does she like?"_

* * *

Himawari entered the classroom and Sakurako almost immediately jumped at her. The shorter blonde looked a bit worn down. There were bags under her eyes, and it appeared that she had woken up late from her sloppily thrown-on uniform and her unkempt hair.

"Good morning! NOW, TELL ME!" Sakurako demanded.

Himawari sighed, "Turn around."

Sakurako was confused at first, but when she saw Himawari produce a brush from her bag, she nodded and complied.

"Geez, your hair's normally not this messy!" Himawari noted.

"I stayed up late last night, and wound up sleeping through my alarm." Sakurako admitted, momentarily forgetting that she was supposed to be demanding information.

She closed her eyes, focusing on Himawari's hands running through her hair. It was quite calming, and soon Sakurako found herself completely forgetting why she had been up all night worrying in the first place.

Before she knew it, Himawari was done. She replaced the hair clips in Sakurako's hair and her hands left the blonde's head.

Sakurako found herself frowning, and before she could ask herself why, she suddenly remembered her friend owed her some important information.

"Thank you," Sakurako replied, pausing long enough to catch the flash of relief in Himawari's face, "But don't think you've gotten away with not telling me who you like!"

"I-I…" Himawari began, just then, their homeroom teacher entered the classroom, and Himawari was cut off again. She turned to Sakurako and whispered, "I'll tell you after school, okay?"

Sakurako muttered a "'kay" back before returning to her seat.

* * *

As the day went on, Sakurako found it harder and harder to focus on her lessons. She wound up only half-consciously writing a love letter to her blue-haired friend, and before she knew it, she had even sketched a chibi-Himawari in the corner of her paper.

Those that frequently compared her eccentric behavior to Kyouko would not be disappointed to learn that their similarities didn't end there. Sakurako was a pretty decent artist, if only she had half a mind to focus on her drawings long enough to make them anything more than scribbled sketches. It seemed that the only subject matter she was ever able to focus on long enough to draw completely was Himawari.

Upon glancing down at this, she blushed and became incredibly subconscious that she was being watched. She slipped her paper underneath her notebook before glancing around the class in paranoia. No one seemed to have noticed the incriminating letter and accompanying sketch.

* * *

Lunch had gone horribly for Himawari. As she should have expected, Sakurako immediately demanded the information from her as they sat down to eat. Chinatsu and Akari, who had been in earshot, gave the two friends/rivals an odd look before turning back to a previous conversation.

Sakurako then realized she didn't have a drink and left to get one from the vending machine, leaving the couple next to her to begin prying.

"What's this about you liking someone?" Chinatsu asked, beginning the interrogation.

Akari merely sat there, eating her lunch. She did look a bit interested, however.

"A-ah… I…" Himawari began.

"Come on, you obviously told Sakurako you liked someone, so who is it?" Chinatsu continued, leaning in a bit.

Akari looked over, as if she was about to tell her girlfriend to stop prying, but said nothing.

_"Help me, Akari-chan!"_

"It's weird though," Chinatsu began, taking another bite of food, "I wouldv'e thought you liked Sakurako!"

Himawari blushed and her tsundere side kicked in, "Wh-why would I like Sakurako? She's loud and annoying and she teases me about my breasts all the time!"

Akari's eyes widened at something behind Himawari and what she said made Himawari's heart stop, "A-ah, Sa-sakurako-chan!?"

Himawari turned around to see Sakurako, holding a can of juice and looking to be on the verge of tears. Himawari moved to say something, but Sakurako merely bolted out of the classroom.

* * *

Sakurako never returned.

Himawari spent the remainder of lunch looking around for her, but sadly, she couldn't seem to find the blonde. As lunch ended, she made her way back to the classroom and sighed.

When the day was over, she hurried over to the student council room, only to find that the only one there was Matsumoto-san and Chitose. Himawari had explained the situation to the white-haired girl and left quickly to find her blonde friend.

She walked down the mostly empty halls of the school, calling Sakurako's name. As she passed by the clinic, the nurse overheard her.

"Himawari-chan, are you looking for Sakurako-chan?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah…" Himawari replied.

"She came in here around lunchtime, saying she didn't feel well. She didn't have a fever, but I sent her home early, just in case." the nurse replied.

"A-ah… okay, thanks!" Himawari replied quickly, then ran off for home.

* * *

Sakurako was still crying when she heard a knock on her door.

Her older sister, after picking her up, left to go shopping, and her little sister was still at school, leaving only her in the confines of her home.

"Sakurako! It's me, Himawari, please, I need to talk to you," the voice on the other side of the door spoke.

Sakurako stopped crying long enough to yell a "Go away!" through the door, but Himawari was persistent.

"Sakurako, please!" Himawari's voice sounded almost desperate, and for a second, Sakurako considered letting her in to hear her out.

Then she remembered everything that happened. Himawari liked someone, but wouldn't even trust her enough to tell her friend, then she overheard Himawari saying she didn't like her because she was annoying.

"Leave me alone!" Sakurako yelled, but she couldn't hold back the tears this time. She began crying as she yelled, and no doubt Himawari had heard her sob.

"Sakurako… please… look, I didn't mean any of it, okay! They were asking me who I liked, and I got worried, so I lied. The truth is Sakurako, it's you. This girl I've liked, this whole time, it's been you. I wasn't sure how to tell you, and I was scared you'd reject my feelings… but I don't care about that now, even if you don't like me back, I want us to stay friends… so… please, open the door…"

Sakurako did as instructed, staring at the blue-haired girl, no longer crying, "You… you like me?"

Himawari nodded, "I… I like you a lot, Sakurako. You may be loud and annoying at times, and we may have our fights, but you're always by my side. It's been like that for so long now."

Sakurako threw her arms around the taller girl and looked up at her, "I like you too, Himawari."

Himawari, despite being the usually more calm, reserved one, could be very assertive. Sakurako found this out first-hand when the blue-haired girl pressed her lips forcibly to hers. It was a strong, abrupt kiss, but there was an underlying tenderness that made Sakurako shiver a bit.

Suddenly, a person clearing their throat behind the newly-formed couple made the pair split apart abruptly. It was Sakurako's older sister, Nadeshiko, holding a bag of groceries and waiting for the two to move out of the way so she could enter.

"I'm glad you two finally got together, but I want to get back into my apartment."

The two blushed and removed themselves from the doorway. After the three of them had entered the apartment, Himawari suddenly realized something.

"Wait, what did you mean by, "You're glad we finally got together?"

Nadeshiko smirked at the pair with an unrecognizable gleam in her eyes, "Oh, you two have no idea some of things you did when you were little. Have you really forgotten?"

As memories came flooding back to the pair, they both blushed, but on the inside, they both felt really stupid.

In the end, there was really nothing to worry about, and there really never had been.

* * *

**AN: It's been a while, da ze! Heh, sorry about that. Busy month, I guess. Anyway, it's been exactly a month since I last posted, so I thought I'd make this a longer one. Anyway, this should be the last couple, so after this, the next chapter will be centered around the seemingly widely popular Akari/Chinatsu pairing.**


	5. Mending

**_Disclaimer: I do not own YuruYuri or any associated characters._**

* * *

Akari and Chinatsu were acting unusual.

Yui considered herself to be the most observant of her friends, and with good reason too. She was usually the first, and many times only, person to pick up on details the other's missed.

Like, for instance, how the two weren't sitting with shoulders pressed together or hands clasped under the table, or how neither of them were really looking at the other, or even making an attempt to talk to each other in the unusually silent room.

Normally, Kyouko wouldn't let the club to grow silent, but it seemed she had her own problems to worry about. Namely, a certain red-haired vice president that stormed in, yelling about the "Incident at Comiket" and dragging the blonde off before she could protest or escape.

Yui had made a mental note to ask about that later.

Yet now the club was unsettlingly quiet, and Yui had half a mind to pry about the younger couple's odd behavior.

Just as she was about to say something, Akari stood up, "Please excuse me, I'm not feeling well, I'm leaving early today."

At this, Chinatsu literally flinched, but said nothing, and absolutely refused to look at her girlfriend. As soon as Akari left, Yui considered asking Chinatsu about it, but she got up suddenly too.

"A-ah, I… I just remembered I had to do something." She declared, then ran off out the lesser-used back entrance.

If their other behaviors were small pricks hinting at something being amiss, this was a smack in the face by a large phone pole that had "something's wrong" printed all over it in bright red. Yui placed her hand under her chin and closed her eyes in contemplation. Something was definitely up, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

It had been three days since the incident with Akari and Chinatsu, and Yui was still scratching her head.

Well, to be more specific, she was playing a videogame, but in her defense, she had died three times already because she was too distracted by the problem at hand.

At any rate, she was racking her brain with scenarios, yet she was unable to confirm any of them. The worst part was every time she was about to ask them, something would happen to prevent her from finding anything out.

Suddenly, there was a knock on Yui's apartment. Kyouko, no doubt. Yui was prepared. She had stocked her fridge with Rum Raisin ice cream and enough food to feed an army. Yet when she looked at the screen, she saw Akari standing there, looking as if she was about to cry.

Yui opened the door immediately and looked at her friend.

"Akari, what's wrong?" Yui asked, concerned.

"I-I… I don't know what to do!" Akari broke down and clutched onto the raven-haired girl.

* * *

A lot of crying and a cup of tea later, and Akari was finally ready to explain everything.

"Me and Chinatsu got into a fight about a week ago," Akari began, "I got mad at China-chan over something silly, but we made up! Yet now she stopped doing some of the things she used to do, like holding my hand and kissing me goodbye and everything. I got frustrated at her so I stopped too and now it barely feels like we're dating at all!"

Before Yui could respond, there was another knock on the door. Yui got up to find that this time it was Chinatsu. Unlike Akari, she had already begun to cry.

Yui let her lips show the traces of a small smile, "Akari, would you mind waiting in the kitchen for a bit?"

Akari looked at her friend with a puzzled expression, "B-but, why would I-"

Yui shooed her off, "You'll see."

Akari frowned and headed off into the kitchen. The second she was out of sight, Yui opened the door and let the pink-haired girl in.

"Yui-senpai!" the pink-haired girl cried, "I… I don't know what to do!"

Yui smirked knowingly and let Chinatsu in. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Akari peeking curiously around the kitchen doorway.

Chinatsu sat, or rather, collapsed in front of Yui's table, too distressed to notice that there were two cups of tea on the table instead of one.

"It's all my fault. The other day I got carried away with Akari and she got mad at me. I apologized, but I was afraid that I was moving too fast for her, so I tried to slow things down, but I think she thought I was still upset at her and she started growing more distant. Now it barely feels like we're dating anymore! I don't know how to fix this."

Yui smirked, "I think you just did."

She glanced towards the kitchen doorway, where Akari stood. Chinatsu's eyes widened, and she stood up.

Akari spoke first, "China-chan, I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

Chinatsu shook her head, "No, it's my fault, I shouldn't have been so dumb."

Yui spoke up, "You were both silly. Sometimes, when something's wrong, the best thing for it is talking it out."

They nodded, and the two looked at each other before they pulled each other in for a make-up kiss.

Before the two could get any further, Yui decided to embarrass the two.

"Say, Chinatsu, what exactly did you mean by you 'got carried away'?"

At this, the couple's faces lit up bright red and neither seemed to be able to look at Yui or each other.

Finally, Chinatsu muttered something so quietly that Yui almost missed it.

"I took off her shirt."

Yui suddenly felt very bad she had asked, and was alarmed at the boldness of her younger friend. She was suddenly brought back to the memory of a fuming Ayano barging into the clubroom and dragging Kyouko out.

_"Just what happened at Comiket?"_

* * *

**AN: Got another one out, da ze! This one's a bit different, being mostly centered around Yui's observance of Akari and Chinatsu's relationship while they're going through a tough time. Anyway, the next chapter's gonna be a mixture of more Akari/Chinatsu and Kyouko/Ayano.**


	6. Breaking- Part 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuruYuri or any of the associated characters.**_

**AN: Yep, the Author's note's up here today. And that's because I've taken a bit of a different direction with this Chapter. While this started off as a series of somewhat related oneshots, I've decided to shift away from that a bit. The summary has been altered to reflect this change. Instead, I present to you the first part of a longer two-chapter segment, that also serves as a prequel of/explanation for the events discussed in the last chapter. Also, this particular two-chapter segment shifts between Ayano/Kyouko and Akari/Chinatsu, a trend that will continue into the second half. I will still be writing other pairings, and I'm not shifting this into a full-blown multi-chapter story, just some segments will be longer than one single chapter.**

* * *

_**Ayano's House: A few days before Comiket**_

Ayano entered her house, red as a beet and on cloud 9. She practically skipped past her mother in excitement and ran to her room. Once safely within the confines in her room, she buried her face in the nearest pillow and squealed, falling to her bed and rolling back and forth.

_"She said YES!"_ Ayano screamed inside her mind._ "She said yes she said yes she said yes!"_

Ayano couldn't be sure how serious Kyouko was about the whole thing. After all, it had been a conditional. Still, fact of the matter was, Kyouko had agreed to go out with her, and right now, that's all that mattered to Ayano.

Ayano was simply filled with joy. She wanted to rush outside and scream to the world that Kyouko was her girlfriend.

Of course, there were numerous reasons she didn't. The first being the woman standing right outside her bedroom door.

"Ayano?" her mother called, knocking on the door, "Ayano, are you okay?"

Ayano quickly let go of the pillow and tried to calm down as much as possible before opening the door.

"I'm fine, mom!" Ayano replied a bit too hastily.

"I can tell. More than fine, it seems, you've got a huge grin on your face." Ayano's mom arched an eyebrow, "What exactly happened while you were out? Did you meet a cute boy?"

Ayano heart sank a bit. In her excitement she'd almost forgotten about what her parents would think. She'd never taken an interest in boys, but she never told her parents either. If there was one thing she knew, it was that her parents would be completely opposed to the idea of their daughter being gay.

"It's nothing like that," Ayano replied, "I just had a lot of fun, that's all."

"Okay, but~!" Ayano's mom trailed off to give her a wink, "If you bring home a cute boy any time soon, I'll have to assume you were lying to me~!"

"Mom!" Ayano complained, getting increasingly more uncomfortable with the subject.

"Alright, I get it! I'll leave you be, and I won't say anything to your father," she leaned in and whispered, "It'll be our little secret!"

As Ayano's mom left the room, Ayano collapsed against the door.

_"I have to be more careful from now on. I can't let my parents find out about this!"_

* * *

_**Chinatsu's bedroom: The Night before Comiket**_

"Say, Akari-chan? Do you think Kyouko's going to drag us to Comiket tomorrow?"

Akari placed her finger on her chin in contemplation, then shook her head, "I don't think so. I heard she was going to bring Ayano again."

Chinatsu shook her head, "That Kyouko, she should really learn to ask people ahead of time!"

Akari nodded, "Yeah, but I think she did this time. Himawari said she didn't know what was going on exactly, but Ayano was mumbling something about preparing for Comiket the other day in club."

"Huh," Chinatsu shrugged, "Oh well. It's not like I wanted to go anyway. I hate being forced to cosplay Mirakurun."

Akari nodded, "Yeah, that Gambo cosplay was kinda awkward to walk around in."

The two sat in silence for a bit before Chinatsu stood up abruptly, "Hey, Akari-chan, want some more tea?"

Akari looked down at her empty cup and nodded, holding it out for Chinatsu to grab, "Thanks."

Once Chinatsu returned, the two once again fell into an unusual silence. It wasn't that they didn't have much to do; they had, for the express purpose of keeping themselves entertained throughout the sleepover, gathered almost every interesting thing Chinatsu had in her house and piled them in the corner of the room to be retrieved at a moment's notice. Yet the silence seemed to originate from a strange tension hanging, almost tangible, in the room.

"H-hey, Akari," Chinatsu finally broke the silence. She leaned over and grabbed a deck of cards out of the pile, the slightest of blushes dusting her cheeks, "want to play poker?"

Akari cocked her head to one side, "Uh… I've never played poker before. How do you play?"

Chinatsu briefly explained the rules of poker, 5-card draw, in this case, and while some details still remained a bit fuzzy in Akari's mind, she got the gist of the game down.

"Okay, let's start. You can shuffle and deal first." Chinatsu offered, holding out the deck. After Akari dealt the cards, she looked at her hand.

"Ah! I only have a pair of twos!"

Akari discarded four of her cards, hoping for a better hand, but when she dealt herself a new hand…

"Wha-! This is worse than what I had before, I've only got a ten!"

Chinatsu slapped her cards onto the table, "Ace high. If you got a pair, you've got me beat."

Akari nearly fell over. She placed her hand down on the table and sighed, "Ten high…"

Chinatsu grinned, "I won?"

Akari nodded, downtrodden, "I would've won if I didn't throw away my pair of twos…"

Chinatsu shook her head, "Oh Akarin! You shouldn't go around throwing away pairs like that, you have to be more strategic and look at your opponent's face!"

Akari nodded, "Let's go again! I want to win this time!"

Chinatsu nodded and shuffled the deck, "You're on!"

* * *

_**Ayano's House: The Night before Comiket.**_

"What to wear, what to wear…" Ayano rummaged through her closet, looking for something presentable. She didn't want to dress too fancy for the occasion. From what she understood, they would only be at a simple diner. Yet she really wanted to impress Kyouko.

_"Tonight's the night I ask her if she's serious about this or not!"_ Ayano resolved to herself. She finally found an outfit worthy for her first official date.

It was a dark violet spaghetti-strap blouse that showed off her neck and shoulders well. A solitary red gem-like ornament sat right underneath her collarbone, where straps came in in a V and held up the top. Along with it she picked a knee-length black dress skirt with a flower pattern running along one side, and a pair of fancy black sandals to finish it off.

After she dressed, she checked her phone and was happy to see a text from Kyouko saying, "I'll pick ya up in a bit!"

She smiled and emerged from her bedroom. As she moved past the kitchen, she called out, "I'm heading out now, mom. I'm going with Kyouko and Chitose to see a movie."

"Oh, you're leaving already? Aren't your friends gonna pick you up?"

"There just down the street, I'll be fine."

Ayano's mom narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but a knock on the door and Kyouko's familiar voice interrupted her.

"Ayano! You ready for our d-?" She yelled through the door, not letting up her incessant knocking.

Ayano threw the door open before she could finish and yelled, "Toshino Kyouko! Don't knock rudely like that!" She waved goodbye to her mother and closed the door.

In a hushed voice, she added, "What do you think you're doing!?"

Kyouko's eyes widened, "Whoops, sorry, almost forgot there! I guess I'm just really excited."

Ayano turned away and muttered, "Yeah, me too…"

Kyouko looked back at her with a small smirk, "What was that?"

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me!" Ayano remarked as they set off.

Kyouko took the lead, allowing Ayano to get a good look at her girlfriend. She was wearing a orange v-neck and rather short jean shorts, with a pair of knee-high socks and an ordinary pair of flats. Still, she looked cute to Ayano, and held an air of tomboyish beauty about her that made the red-haired girl blush and look down.

She looked up at her date again, only to be surprised to see Kyouko walking backwards. The blonde had a smirk on her face.

"Like what you see?" Kyouko asked, planting her hands in her pockets in what Ayano imagined was an attempt to look cool.

Ayano blushed, "Wh-what are you-"

"Cuz I do," Kyouko added, turning around. Ayano lit up bright red at that, but inwardly she was really happy.

_"I guess in her own way, she just complimented how I look."_

The walk to the diner had been relatively silent after that. Kyouko, who was usually loud and excitable, strode with a strange sense of calm coolness that didn't fit her at all. It was almost unsettling to Ayano, but she put it out of her mind for now.

Conversation seemed to pick back up once they reached the diner. However, mostly it was talk about Kyouko's art and questions about Ayano's student council duties. Small talk. Distant, at that. Not at all what Ayano had in mind for a first date.

All throughout dinner, Ayano couldn't help but submit to the nagging thought plaguing her mind.

_"Kyouko is barely acting like this is a date… I wonder, is she really serious about all of this?"_

* * *

_**Chinatsu's House: The Night before Comiket**_

"Say, Akari, what do you say we make this game a bit more interesting?" Chinatsu asked, her face once again bright red.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Akari asked, tilting her head to one side.

"I mean," Chinatsu was a bit hesitant, "adding certain… penalties for losing?"

"W-wait! China-chan! You don't mean-" Akari began, starting to get a bit worried.

"You've heard of strip poker, right?" Chinatsu asked.

"Well, yeah, but…" Akari replied hesitantly.

"Then it's settled!" Chinatsu replied, "Strip poker it is!"

"A-ah! China-chan, that's…!" Akari began, but it was too late. Chinatsu had already begun dealing out the cards.

"Oh no! I don't have any good cards at all!" Akari whined mentally. She threw out her entire hand, all but one card, and watched as Chinatsu dealt her more cards.

Upon flipping them over, her worries were put to rest.

_"A Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six of Spades! I got a… what did China-chan call it… a straight flush! That's the second highest, right? I'm going to win this round!"_

She placed her hand down on the table, declaring victoriously, "I got a straight flush!"

Chinatsu smiled and placed her hand down as well. A Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of Hearts, "Royal Flush! I win!"

Akari gawked at the cards for a moment before noticing her girlfriend looking at her expectantly. Normally, one might get out of something like this by removing a sock or some other innocuous article of clothing, but as they were in their pajamas in preparation for sleep, Akari didn't have such a luxury.

"A-ah! China-chan…. I…" Akari stuttered, blushing.

"Come on, Akari~n!" Chinatsu urged in a sing-song voice, "Take it off!"

"Wha! Take it off?" Akari asked, blushing.

"Your shirt!" Chinatsu pointed to the article of clothing.

"A-ah! Aren't I allowed to choose!" Akari retorted.

Chinatsu smiled, "Well sure, but I didn't think you'd want to take off your pants first!"

Akari blushed even deeper. She really was only wearing her pajamas and a pair of panties.

_"I don't even have anything on underneath my shirt!"_

"Come on, maybe you'll win the next round!" Chinatsu urged.

"A-ah! Next round! But if I lose I'll have to…!" Akari protested.

Chinatsu leaned in ever closer to her girlfriend and planted a kiss on Akari's lips to cut her off. At first, Akari allowed herself to melt into it, but then Chinatsu let their lips part and smiled.

"Fine, I'll do it, then!"

Akari panicked, but Chinatsu's hands had already made their way to her shirt's buttons.

"A-ah! China-chan, please wait!" she panicked.

Chinatsu smiled, "You lost, it's only fair."

"Ah! But I didn't even-" Akari squirmed as she felt her shirt being fully unbuttoned and swiftly pulled off before she could react. She instantly crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, "D-don't look! Stop!"

Chinatsu waved the garment over her head in victory, "Ha! Alright, now that that's settled, we can get back to the-"

Akari, in a very unusual fit of anger and embarrassment, pushed Chinatsu to the ground and quickly snatched her shirt before covering herself back up.

"China-chan, BAKA! I… I… I told you to quit it!" Akari yelled, too hurt to even bother buttoning her shirt back up. She sat there, looking defeated and rather vulnerable, small traces of a few stray tears in the corners of her eyes.

Chinatsu, eyes wide, quickly ran to Akari. She began rebuttoning her girlfriend's shirt, "I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Stop! Don't touch me!" Akari yelled again, turning away and buttoning her shirt up herself. She ran into the bathroom before Chinatsu could mutter another word of apology.

She left Chinatsu to curse herself, _"I am a baka! Why did I even try that?"_

_**To be continued...**_


	7. Breaking- Part 2

**_Disclaimer: I do not own YuruYuri or any of the associated characters._**

* * *

_**Ayano's House: The Night before Comiket.**_

Ayano never got around to asking Kyouko about their relationship.

It's not like she didn't want to, but every time it fell silent, by the time she mustered up enough courage to ask, Kyouko would unknowingly cut Ayano off right before she said anything.

To be fair, Ayano had enjoyed the meal, and the fact that she was on a date with Kyouko at all still filled her stomach with butterflies and made her heart beat faster. It was for this reason that she was apprehensive.

_"I want this to be serious, I don't want this to end…"_

Ayano buried her head in her pillow and sighed, which came out as a muffled sort of hiss. She then lifted her head up and checked the time.

_"11:20 P.M… I should go to bed. I've got a long day ahead of me. I'll ask Kyouko about this tomorrow."_

* * *

_**Chinatsu's House: The Night before Comiket**_

_"What's happening to me?"_ Chinatsu asked herself, _"Why did I do that to Akari?"_

Chinatsu felt plain dirty. She knew that what she did to Akari was wrong. She really didn't mean any harm with it, but seeing how Akari broke down and cried, Chinatsu was scared that she had screwed up.

She sat on the floor of her bedroom, unsure of what to do. Akari was still locked up in the bathroom, and Chinatsu was unsure as to how she would rectify the situation. Sure, she could knock on the door and apologize immediately, but she wasn't sure if Akari wanted space.

Dejectedly, Chinatsu looked up at the clock,_ "It's 11:20… I should probably clean up and set up the futon for Akari."_

Upon completing the task she had set about, Chinatsu thought it time to check up on Akari. She headed over to the bathroom door to find it unlocked and slightly ajar, but she could still hear Akari's muffled crying echoing from within.

"Akari, I'm coming in," Chinatsu announced. She found Akari kneeling in the corner, looking back up at her with puffy, red eyes.

"Akari, I'm sorry about earlier, I don't know what came over me." Chinatsu spoke gingerly, as if the wrong words would break the already thin thread she was tightroping across to gain Akari's forgiveness, "I guess I just thought it would be fun, this is our first sleepover as a couple, after all. But I should've been more sensitive to your feelings. I'm really sorry."

Akari nodded without saying anything, then yawned.

"It's getting late," Chinatsu noted, "Let's go to bed."

Akari stood up and followed her girlfriend in silence, and when they got to Chinatsu's bedroom, the redhead hesitated a bit before following Chinatsu in.

Akari laid down on the futon without a sound and turned so her head was facing away from Chinatsu's bed. Chinatsu headed over to her bed and laid down facing towards Akari, and soon both drifted into a somber, dreamless sleep.

* * *

_**Ayano's House: Day of Comiket**_

Ayano was standing in her foyer, waiting eagerly for Kyouko to come whisk her away to Comiket. It wasn't that she particularly enjoyed the noisy otaku gathering, and the fact that she had to wear the embarrassing outfit she had donned underneath her long, concealing winter coat wasn't helping, but it made Kyouko happy and she'd get to spend the day with her.

Ayano slapped her cheeks one final time and shook her head as if her motions would shake the nerves out of her head. It didn't help, of course, but she could only hope that she wouldn't lose face when it the opportunity presented itself.

She rehearsed the lines in her head over and over again, trying to make them sound normal and not shaky.

_"'Kyouko, I was wondering-' … no, that won't do… how about… 'Kyouko, how serious are you about… us?' Yeah. That could work."_

As she was mentally preparing herself, the abrupt knock on the door scared her half to death. She opened the door and was immediately pulled out into the crisp winter air. She could barely get the door closed before she was drawn up into a tight hug.

"T-Toshino Kyouko!" Ayano yelled, then lowered her voice so no one would hear her from inside the house, "What are you doing?"

"I'm hugging you, silly!" Kyouko smirked, then whirled around, "It's cold out today, so I figured I'd warm up before heading out!"

Ayano blushed a bit, but then pointed out, "You could've just come inside for a bit. You're a bit early."

"It's fine, I want to get there a bit early so we don't have to wait in line or get caught in large crowds!" Kyouko replied, hooking her arm around Ayano's and practically dragging her along at a fairly brisk pace.

"A-ah! Kyouko, you're…" Ayano blushed at the contact, but decided it would be best not to protest this right now.

As Kyouko and Ayano rushed to the station, Ayano pondered asking Kyouko her question now. If she could get it out of the way, she could enjoy the rest of the day.

_"But what if she says no? Then I'll be stuck at Comiket all day in heartbreak."_

Ayano shook her head and decided to wait.

* * *

_**Chinatsu's house: Day of Comiket**_

Chinatsu woke up to find Akari was gone. Panic temporarily rose up in the pink-haired girl, but her worries were put to rest when she heard the sounds of the toilet flushing in the other room. As Akari came back into the room, Chinatsu considered pretending to be asleep so she could see what Akari would do, but ultimately decided against it.

"Morning, Akari." Chinatsu greeted tiredly, sincerely hoping Akari had forgiven her by now.

Akari looked over and then looked at her feet, and for a second, Chinatsu was worried she was still mad.

Then Akari said something unfitting for the situation.

"I'm sorry, China-chan"

Chinatsu nearly fell off her bed in shock, "Wh-what?"

"I said I'm sorry, China-chan. I'm not happy about what you did, but I guess I overreacted a bit."

Chinatsu shook her head, "No, you had a right to be mad. It was my fault that this happened."

Akari came over and hugged Chinatsu, "I forgive you, so forgive me, okay?"

Chinatsu nodded, "Of course."

The two kissed, briefly, but to Chinatsu, something felt a bit off about it. It wasn't like a normal kiss. It seemed almost forced on both ends, like both of them didn't really want to be doing this right now. Still, Chinatsu was just glad Akari had said she'd forgiven her.

"I want to take things slowly, China-chan," Akari replied, "We're only in middle school, after all."

Chinatsu nodded, "Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

As Chinatsu said this, she worried that she would scare Akari off if she became too forward, so she began thinking of ways she could prevent that. And thus, the events that put a strain on Akari and Chinatsu's relationship were set into motion.

* * *

**_Kyouko's Booth - Comiket_**

Ayano didn't like the position she was in.

She was forced out into full-cosplay, standing next to Kyouko's booth to attract potential customers. It was warmer inside the center than it was outside, but wearing such a skimpy outfit in winter was bound to be cold anywhere.

Furthermore, Ayano was feeling more and more anxious about asking Kyouko her question. Still, the red-haired girl thought about it again and decided that she should ask Kyouko after Comiket ended, so Kyouko wouldn't lie to keep her in cosplay.

And to top it all off, Kyouko wasn't even at the booth. She had run off to who-knows-where, doing god-knows-what, and Ayano would be fine with the bit of peace and quiet if not for two things: One, she had been enjoying Kyouko's company and felt a bit less humiliated wearing the cosplay with her girlfriend around, and two, she needed to use the restroom.

She was trying her hardest to focus on the task at hand, which was watching the stand and selling to any customer that came up. Kyouko gave her a list of prices for her various works, and while people weren't necessarily lining up like crazy to buy Kyouko's things, she had become semi-popular enough to keep Ayano busy. As such, Ayano barely had a chance to relax, and was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable.

Ayano glared at the near-empty bottle of water on the booth in front of her. If she hadn't been so nervous about the cosplay and Kyouko, maybe she wouldn't have drank so much of it.

She shook her head. Blaming herself wasn't helping. Kyouko would be back any second, and she could excuse herself.

* * *

**_Random Booth- Comiket_**

Kyouko was having a blast! She had just found stumbled across some cool Mirakurun dolls, and there was no way she wasn't going to buy all of them!

Okay, she wasn't actually going to buy all of them, but she definitely wanted Mirakurun and Rivalun. Still, there were many varieties in different outfits from the anime and manga, and it was hard for her to decide which ones to get.

_"Final Spark Mirakurun is really cute, but I really like the Fantasy Dream Mirakurun too!"_

Kyouko sat staring at which Mirakurun to get, but there was one thing she knew for certain; she was getting the Alternate Color Rivalun; a doll using the colors of the misprinted 8th volume cover's Rivalun, which had become analogous to an alternate color palette for the character.

* * *

_"Where is she already?"_ Ayano asked herself. She was beginning to get worried that Kyouko wouldn't be back for a while, and she wasn't sure if she could take this too much longer.

Customers had slowed down, as it was starting to near the end of the day, yet Ayano didn't want to leave the stand. If Kyouko came back and Ayano was gone, or worse, if someone decided to steal stuff from the booth, Ayano would feel bad. Still, it was becoming harder to concentrate on anything else but her pressing need.

About fifteen minutes later, Ayano finally made her decision.

_"I can't take it, it's unbearable at this point! I'll only be gone for a few minutes!"_

Ayano stood up to leave, but as luck would have it, Kyouko had returned, and had approached from the other way. She grabbed Ayano's head from behind, covering her eyes and smiling.

"Guess who?"

Ayano shrieked and jolted upright in shock. She pressed her knees together tightly and whirled around angrily.

"Toshino Kyouko!" She yelled, pointing at the girl, "You've been gone for an hour!"

Kyouko smirked, "Yup, I was buying these!"

Kyouko held up her spoils, a bag full of various artwork and manga doujinshi, as well as the two dolls, which were kept separate.

Ayano frowned, "You left me waiting here for you!"

Kyouko sheepishly scratched the back of her head, "Sorry 'bout that."

Ayano sighed, "Oh well, it doesn't matter now, I'm going to the bathroom."

Kyouko held up a hand, "Ah, yeah, I need to go too. Hold on for a sec, I'm just gonna pack this up real quick."

Ayano crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, constantly shifting from one foot to another. She was getting quite irritated at Kyouko now. She had been waiting on Kyouko to use the toilet this whole time, and now Kyouko's asking her to wait again?

After Kyouko finished packing her things into a couple of boxes, she put them under the table and the two headed off towards the nearest restroom.

Unfortunately for Ayano, there was a bit of a line, and by the time they'd gotten near the front of the line, Ayano reached her limit.

_"I can't take it anymore!"_ Ayano looked around, unsure of what to do. She began walking quite awkwardly back to Kyouko's booth, to which the blonde looked at her oddly and followed her.

Ayano hid underneath the counter and grabbed the empty water bottle, face bright red.

_"I don't have any other options!"_

Yet as she opened the water bottle and squatted down, preparing to do the unthinkable, Kyouko ran over to her, "Ayano, what are you-"

Ayano lost her balance and fell. She cringed and pressed her thighs together tightly, but it was already too late. She felt herself start to lose control, and she buried her face in her hands as she wet herself.

Kyouko looked upon Ayano with a mixture of surprise and guilt. When Ayano began to cry, Kyouko jumped into action and placed her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"It's not your fault, it looked like you really had to go." Kyouko noted.

Ayano turned and glared at the blonde with a mixture of shame and rage, "I did really have to go! I was holding it in since you left! I only thought you'd be a few minutes!"

Kyouko suddenly felt really bad, "Sorry, I didn't know, you should've told me."

Ayano frowned, "Saying things like that is embarrassing!"

"But I'm your girlfriend," Kyouko muttered, a bit downcast, "I'm not going to laugh at you for needing the toilet. You're supposed to tell me if you need something…"

Ayano blushed, "S-so, you're serious?"

Kyouko cocked her head, "Serious? about what?"

Ayano blushed, "O-our relationship!"

Kyouko looked confused for a few seconds, but then her eyes widened, "Oh, you thought because you asked me out as a condition for you coming here, that I was just playing along so you would cosplay for me? Ayano, I would never play with anyone's feelings like that, least of all yours!"

"It's not like you make that obvious! You tell people you love them all the time just to get their homework to copy! And you barely acted like my girlfriend during our date yesterday" Ayano pointed out.

"I'm sorry, I guess I do kind of do things like that, don't I? But I'd never actually date someone unless I was serious about it. And as for last night, I was… scared. I flirt with my other friends all the time, but I wasn't sure how to approach things with you. Yui told me not to tease you too much, but I really don't know how to be romantic aside from that kind of stuff," Kyouko explained.

Ayano calmed down at this and smiled, in spite of the situation, "Kyouko, you idiot… I… I love you."

Kyouko smiled, "I love you too. Now, I can't have anyone seeing my super-cute girlfriend in such a compromising situation! Luckily, I brought a change of clothes! I thought you'd want to change out of the Rivalun cosplay as soon as possible."

Ayano slipped underneath another booth to hide as she changed, and upon emerging, she was wearing a simple green tanktop and shorts. The tanktop, being Kyouko's, was a bit too small and hugged her chest tightly. Still, she was grateful for the convenience.

As the two cleaned up and prepared to set off for home, Ayano turned towards her girlfriend.

"Two things, Toshino Kyouko! One, you will speak of this to no one, and two, you put me through a lot today, you owe me for this big time!"

* * *

**AN: Sorry it took me so long to get this one out. I've been doing important school-related things and this week's been a bit overwhelming. It's Valentine's Day, so I was hoping to get more than one chapter out, but it looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Ah well, da ze!**

**Aditional Note: Games to play while reading this Chapter: Spot the Touhou reference.**


	8. Secret

_**Disclaimer: I don't own YuruYuri or any associated characters.**_

* * *

"For the record, that didn't explode the last time I used it," Nana defended, holding her hands up.

Rise had that same blank expression on her face as normal, but it was covered in a thin layer of ash. As was much of the room, for that matter.

Rise had offered to stay at school and help Nana clean her classroom, and in the process they had found one of Nana's first inventions; a small robot whose sole purpose was, from what Nana could recall, crushing soda cans.

Upon switching it on, however, its sole purpose quickly shifted to being in a million pieces and making a mess of the classroom. A task it was accomplishing quite well.

Rise replied softly, "That happens to you a lot, doesn't it?"

Nana nodded, "I guess you're right! At least I like explosions so much, I'd imagine it would be a pain to deal with if I didn't…"

Rise merely nodded in agreement and started cleaning up the newly made mess.

Nana immediately jumped in, "A-ah, sorry, Rise, let me get that! You said you wanted to help me clean up, but then I just made more of a mess! I must be bothersome to deal with sometimes!"

Rise shook her head as she continued to help Nana clean, "I don't think you're bothersome, Nana…" Rise replied, putting more heart into the statement than she had meant to.

"Rise…" Nana replied, frowning slightly, yet she didn't continue. The two continued working until soon the whole room was tidy.

Nana leaned back against her desk and smiled. "Finally, we're finished. Sorry I made you stay so long!"

Rise smiled, "I don't mind… I… I had fun."

The two stood there in silence, neither moving, until finally Rise couldn't take it any more. She ran over to Nana and buried her face in the older woman's chest.

Nana froze up when she felt moisture through her shirt. Rise was… crying?

"Rise, if this is about us-" Nana began.

"Nana… I can't… take it…" Rise sobbed.

Nana sighed and let herself slowly slide to the floor with Rise in her lap, crying into her chest and clutching her tightly.

"Everyone's been getting together recently," Rise began, "Ayano and Kyouko got together, and then Himawari and Sakurako, and they tell me Akari and Chinatsu are dating as well… I know why we can't be together, but it's hard. It's really hard watching everyone else around me get to be happy while I'm stuck in silent misery. Nana, I can't take it anymore…"

Nana gently ran her fingers through Rise's hair as she tried to calm the younger girl, "I know, Rise… it's hard for me too. My older friends, from college constantly tease me, saying I need to get with someone already or I'll become an old maid… I've been silently biting my tongue, because how can I say I love a student from one of the classes I teach? They'll start calling me a lesbian pedophile. I can't even take comfort in the fact that I have you, because I can't even be with you..."

Rise hugged her tighter, "We… we don't have to tell anyone, we could keep it a secret."

Nana frowned, "No, Rise, if anyone found out…"

Rise shook her head forcefully, "No one's going to find out, please!"

Nana continued, "We couldn't go on dates, or do anything like that in public. We'd have to make sure we were extra careful with everything we did, and you'd have to act like normal while we're at school…"

Rise nodded, "I promise, so please, Nana!"

Nana let out a long sigh, and closed her eyes, thinking about it long and hard. Finally, she nodded, "Alright. Starting now, you and I, for better or for worse, are unofficially, off the record, together."

Rise smiled and hugged Nana tighter before removing herself from older woman's lap and standing up.

"I'm going home," she announced, "Is it alright if I stop by your apartment later? I can tell my sister I'll be hanging out with friends from school."

Nana nodded, "Sure. I'm not doing anything important today."

Rise smiled and left, and only when she was out of sight did Nana lean her head back against the desk and sigh heavily.

_"What have we gotten ourselves into, Rise?"_

* * *

As Nana finished preparing her home for Rise's arrival, there was a well-timed knock on the door. She ran to the door quickly, expecting Rise, but was surprised when she found one of her old college friends instead.

"Tetsuya!? What are you doing here?"

The man standing before her looked every part the overworked scientist. His long, black hair was ruffled and unkempt, tied at the base of his neck into a sloppy ponytail. He had dark bags under his eyes, and in his hand he held a coffee mug.

"Ah, well, a couple of our friends are getting together for some drinks tonight. They wanted to know if you were interested."

"Sorry, it sounds nice, but I have other plans."

Tetsuya gave her a once over and raised an eyebrow, "You don't look it."

"You don't look like you're ready to head out for a drink," Nana replied.

Tetsuya shrugged, "Yeah, guess you're right. Anyway, I was really only asking for Haru. She kept nagging me about it. Don't tell her I said this, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say she has a crush on you."

Nana frowned slightly before looking away, "A-ah, I'm flattered, but-"

Tetsuya held up a hand, "Don't talk to me about it. That's just what I think. For all I know, I could be wrong. Anyway, I really only came here to ask you, so I'm heading off. Later"

Nana nodded, "Goodbye."

As soon as she got back inside, Nana collapsed. She hadn't even considered the possibility that one of her old friends might be harboring feelings for her.

_"W-what if Haru tries to ask me out?"_ Nana asked herself worriedly, _"I could always tell her I'm already dating, but she'd surely ask who! I can't possibly tell her!"_

Before she could completely compose herself, another knock echoed through the otherwise silent house. All too quickly, Nana stood up, whirled around opened the door.

Rise stood happily, and the second Nana let her in and closed the door she turned around and hugged the older woman tightly.

She pulled back instantly, "You're tense…"

Nana froze, "A-ah, it's nothing to worry about, really."

Rise looked down, "You're still worried about this, aren't you."

Nana softened a bit and pulled Rise into another hug, "Yeah, of course I'm going to be worried, but it's not your fault. I just wish our circumstances were different."

Rise nodded silently.

Nana sighed, "Listen, this isn't going to be easy, and we're going to have to be careful, and we can't tell other people, but I'm going to stick with this, so don't worry about me worrying."

Rise smiled, "Alright."

Nana smiled, "Now, why don't you say we have a nice dinner and a movie at home?"

Rise nodded, and the two set off to the kitchen for their first date.

* * *

**AN: Sorry it took me so long to get this one chapter out. The weekend wasn't very hectic, but I was enjoying a break from the chaotic week prior. I also did a bit of job hunting, and I feel that I'm going to be rather pressed for time in the weeks to come. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update, but I will try to update as frequently as possible.**


End file.
